


The Wheel Turns

by Tahari



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark Harry, Dark Magic, Wizarding Culture (Harry Potter), Work In Progress, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:34:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29073372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tahari/pseuds/Tahari
Summary: The summer before Harry Potter’s third year, a conversation with Florean Fortescue leads him on a journey to discover the differences between the Light and the Dark and find where he truly belongs.
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Having been inspired by many wonderful writers, I now make my own attempt writing a believable Dark Harry story. This should be considered a WIP and may never actually be completed.

“Non-magical people (more commonly known as Muggles) were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at recognizing it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real witch or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame-Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation. Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises.” - A History of Magic, by Bathilda Bagshot.

“What a load of poppycock,” Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, and 12 year old wizard muttered loudly. What he just read, didn’t make a bit of sense. If a witch or wizard had gotten captured by muggles, their wand would be the first thing to be taken away. And if they didn’t have their wand, they would need to be very good at wandless magic to be able to cast the Flame-Freezing Charm. Which so far, in his experience hasn’t been the case with most magicals. That didn’t even get into the fact that muggles weren’t stupid and would be able to tell sooner or later that their witch wasn’t actually being burned alive and seek alternative murder methods. Plus, what about the untrained children who had no method of defense? In any of these cases, the caught witch or wizard surely ended up dead.

“You’re not wrong,” Florean Fortescue, owner of Fortescue’s Ice Cream, said as he placed a new bowl of chocolate ice cream next to Harry’s textbook, “a lot of wizards these days like to whitewash our history.”

Harry wrinkled his nose, “But why?”

The plump shopkeep sighed, “Politics mostly. It’s not ‘in’ to portray muggles as anything but enlightened and harmless these days.”

Harry scoffed, the Dursley’s were certainly in no way enlightened or harmless, “That’s just dumb. And while maybe some muggles are more peaceful and enlightened or whatever there’s still plenty that look down on or want to hurt others cause they’re different.” Like me, he thought in his head.

Florean smiled kindly at the young hero, “You’re not wrong. And if you’d like, I can give you some book recommendations that provide a different perspective.”

Harry paused, did he really want to read more than he already had to for his summer homework? Still, he was curious now. Why would anyone want to try to change the facts of history? Especially, to gloss over possible dangers?! He nodded firmly, “I think I’d like that Mr. Fortescue.”

“Well then,” the history-enthusiast grinned as he pulled over one of Harry’s blank parchment sheets and extra quills, “Now some of these might be biased in different ways, so you’ll want to watch out for that and Flourish and Blotts doesn’t carry the majority of these so you’ll need to go to a different shop. I recommend Thomson’s Tomes over on Horizont Alley.” He said as he wrote down three titles and passed the page back to Harry.

“The Christian Inquisition,” by Brandt Pepperidge.  
“The Statute of Secrecy and Why it was Formed,” by Jackson Killjoy  
“Wendelin the Weird: The Myth, The Legend,” by Alberta Snapgrass

“Thank you Mr. Fortescue, both for this and the ice cream,” Harry said gratefully.

“It is my pleasure Mr. Potter, not only because of what you did for our world, but because it is a genuine delight to help foster a young wizard’s interest in our history. So when you finish those books if you have any questions or would just like to discuss, I’ll be here waiting. With ice cream on the house as usual.” The jolly man winked and Harry grinned joyfully back. “Well back to work for me then. Enjoy your ice cream.”

“I will Mr. Fortescue,” Harry replied as the shopkeep turned away and Harry dug into his dessert before freezing with the spoon in front of his mouth. Just where was Horizont Alley?

After finishing his ice cream and getting directions from Mr. Fortescue, Harry found himself ducking into a moss covered alleyway between a trunk shop and an odds ‘n’ bobs store. Across the top, almost buried in ivy was a metal arch that read: Horizont Alley. The initial path between the buildings was shady, but soon it opened up into a quiet side street. As Harry strolled through it looking for Thomson’s Tomes, he passed a cozy cafe, a small garden center, a law office, and an antique store. Thomson’s Tomes was between Annie’s Antiques and The Divining Eye, a store that apparently sold divination tools.

A small chime sounded over Harry’s head as he entered the bookstore that was well-lit by a sea of softly glowing orbs floating above the aisles and shelves.

“Welcome to Thomson’s Tomes. My name is Daniel. Can I help you with anything today?” Asked the slender wizard wearing a smart blue-grey overobe and silver glasses.

“Umm, do you have these books?” Asked Harry as he pulled out the list and held it out for the employee to look at.

Daniel adjusted his glasses as he read the parchment, “Yes, I believe so. Come on, I’ll show you where they’re at.”

Harry followed Daniel as he strode over to one section of the store labeled History and after a brief search, had all three of the titles in his hands.

“Now is there anything else I can help you find today? We have a special right now where if you buy 4 books you get the fifth free.” Suggested the salesperson.

Harry looked at the books in his arms and bit his lip, “Well, I don’t have anything specific, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look.”

Daniel nodded, “Well if if you have any questions, I’ll just be over at the counter, would you like me to hold those books for you at the front?”

“Yes, thank you.” Harry replied handing them over to the wizard.

Well, Harry thought as Daniel walked off, since I’m already in the History section, I guess I’ll start here. He ran his finger along the tomes as he read off titles. “Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.” He grinned, “Hogwarts: A History.” “Important Modern Magical Discoveries.” No. “Light vs Dark: A History.” Maybe. “Nature’s Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy.” Definitely not. “The Wheel Turns: Rites and Rituals of the Seasonal Holidays.” What is... Curious, Harry pulled the last title off the shelf and opened it to the Introduction.

“As summer follows spring, and winter follows autumn, do the powers of light and darkness ever rise and fall in prominence. This is the Wheel of the Seasons, a powerful magical undercurrent that even if we’re unknowing, deeply impacts the world and especially us as wielders of magic. This book recognizes the eight days these powerful magics peak, their effects on the world, and the reasons for why we as wizards and witches should perform specific rites and rituals of power on these days.”

Harry tilted his head. This was like nothing he’d ever heard of before and the fact that he could’ve been effected unknowingly by any of these days of power made him shiver in uneasiness. Wait, was that why something bad always seemed to happen to him on Halloween?! Could that be one of these powerful days? He nodded, yeah definitely getting this book and... he pulled out the book on Light vs Dark. He didn’t really know what the difference between them were, but clearly they impacted both magic and politics. So, he should probably know more about them. Happy with his choices, Harry went up to the front and checked out. And as Harry began the walk back to the Leaky Cauldron he had the amusing thought that Hermione would be proud of him for his new independent research project.  
◦


	2. Chapter 2

Arriving back at his room at the Leaky Cauldron, Harry flopped face first on to his bed. Ugh. It was nice being free of the Dursley’s, but so boring. His friends were on vacation so he didn’t really have anyone but adults to hang out with, there was nowhere for him to go flying in the alleys, he had already seen all that Diagonal Alley had to offer (and even ventured into Horizont Alley today though he wasn’t supposed to) and now he didn’t even have all of his time filled with chores. It was no wonder he had been working on his homework already despite being gone only five days from the Dursley’s now.

Still, it wasn’t that bad. Today was even kind of fun. He’d never known History could be interesting like that before... not like that was surprising with Binns as a teacher, but still it was different this time. There was a mystery to be solved. And just as with the Philosopher’s Stone first year and the Chamber of Secrets last, he felt the urge to dig deeper. He sighed, but he really probably should finish his homework first. After all, this would be the first summer he would even be able to work on it without having to sneak around the Dursley’s.

Rolling over and reaching down into the bag he had dropped at the side of the bed, Harry pulled a book out at random. Wendelin the Weird, okay. At least this one’s shorter than the others. Harry pulled the pillow under his arm and cracked the book open. Now let’s see why she is so important.

An hour passed quickly with Harry engrossed in the short tome. It was amazing to him how Wendelin’s story had become so twisted in the last century. How she changed from Wendelin the Wyrdbreaker and heroine to Wendelin the Weird, curiosity. She did indeed get burned at the stake at least forty-seven times, but not because she enjoyed the experience. She was a heroine that using powerful glamours and a complex Switching Spell, would change places with captured witches and pretend to be burned alive in order to allow the captured witches to safely escape! It infuriated Harry that someone twisted her bravery so as to make her into some kind of joke!

Slamming closed Wendelin’s book after seeing the many sources listed in the Bibliography as proof of this version of the story, Harry eagerly reached into his bag for the next book. A fire had been lit inside of him and he was burning to know more.

Hours passed this way, with Harry easily skipping dinner, used to as he was with receiving minimal scraps of food during the summer. The Christian Inquisition and Statute of Secrecy books explained the unrelenting persecution of the largely pagan witches and wizards of the British Isles, how even if they hid their magic, they were said to be Devil worshippers and thus burnt at the stake. Whole families were killed, communities forced into hiding, until at last the Wizard’s Council of the time created the Statute of Secrecy. Both a law that separates the magical and non-magical worlds, and a powerful ritual, the Statute of Secrecy encourages the non-magical to ignore and disbelieve in the existence of magic... even when directly seen.

After finishing the three history books, Harry furiously dove into writing his essay. He didn’t care that it deliberately went against his assigned text and thus would probably be marked down. He knew down to his soul that what he read was the truth and refused to say otherwise.

It was shortly before midnight that he finished writing his essay and the enflamed energy that had been driving him forward dropped from him and left him to fall soon after into a dream-troubled sleep.

The next morning, he had slept in, but that meant he wouldn’t have to wait long for Fortescue’s Ice Cream Shop to open. And Harry was desperately eager to talk to the man. So after a quick brunch in the downstairs tavern, Harry hurried off into Diagon Alley.

Striding into the just opened shop, Harry took out his History of Magic text and slammed it down onto the counter.

“It’s all lies!” He exclaimed.

Mr. Fortescue lowered his wand from where he was changing the signs listing various ice cream flavors, “It’s not all lies,” he sighed, “There’s just enough truth in there to obscure the rest of it.”

“But why?!” Harry cried out, “Why would anyone do that?!”

“Like I said yesterday, Harry, politics. Certain people think that just because they believe Muggles have changed that they should ignore what they did to us in the past.” Florean calmly explained.

“But they haven’t!” Harry stated firmly as he thought of the Dursley’s, “My... there’s still plenty that if they knew would hurt us.”

Mr. Fortescue shrugged, “That might be so, but the Light side believes otherwise, and they’re the ones currently in power.”

Caught by surprise, Harry blurted out, “The Light side? Like Dumbledore?”

The ice cream shop owner nodded, “He would be one of the main ones yes.”

“But he’s good! How can he encourage this lie that endangers us?” Harry asked in utter dismay.

“Let me see if I can explain,” Mr. Fortescue sighed, “Dumbledore is a great man, but he always tries to see the best in people. And thus has a hard time understanding how fear and lack of understanding can lead to cruelty and violence. Plus he is so powerful I think he has trouble understanding how much the average witch or wizard could be in danger from a muggle.” 

Harry’s head whirled and his heart hurt. Dumbledore was good, but now he could see he was naive too. Muggles had their own type of power and they could be as mean and small-minded as any human being. His own family was living proof of that. Was that why Dumbledore refused to let him leave the Dursley’s? Because he believed in their innate goodness? In the true love of family? Tears filled Harry’s eyes. Dumbledore was wrong! Sometimes family aren’t all loving. Sometimes they are broken and rotten inside and if Dumbledore couldn’t see that than he was a fool! 

But, but... even though Dumbledore was wrong about this didn’t mean he was wrong about everything. He was Light! He fought against the likes of Voldemort and Malfoy, who we’re definitely Dark. So, even though Harry was now a little disillusioned by his Headmaster, he knew he would still follow him, because he knew Dumbledore would do what was right. Right?


	3. Chapter 3:

After calming down with another ice cream sundae, Harry felt adrift. What should he even do now? He could read more, but he really wasn’t ready for anymore earth-shattering revelations and he didn’t have any more options available today than he did yesterday. Well, he could check out Horizont Alley again. It didn’t seem at all dangerous yesterday so he would probably be fine if he went again. He nodded. Anything was better than going back to his room at the Leaky Cauldron and reading some more. And hey, maybe he could check out that divination store, it was going to be one of his new subjects this year. Waving goodbye to Mr. Fortescue, Harry went on his way.

Horizont Alley was as quiet as it had been the day before and Harry only dawdled a little bit looking at everything on display in the shop windows. He briefly thought about entering the antique store, but they mainly seemed to focus on expensive items like furniture and jewelry.

Entering The Divining Eye, Harry’s nose wrinkled at the strong woodsy incense that was burning. He hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with something like that in his class.

“Welcome traveler to my humble shop.” Said a dark-skinned witch dramatically. She was adorned in dozens of gold bangles jangling along her arms and with golden feathers hanging from her earlobes, “My name is Madam Godfrey and I can see that you have just begun a journey of self-discovery! How may I help guide you along your path?”

Harry was a bit taken aback, this was not what he had been expecting coming in here, but the witch wasn’t wrong either. Was this the power of divination?

“Umm, I’m going to be starting Divination this school year and I was hoping to see what it was all about?” Harry shyly stated.

“How wonderful!” Exclaimed the Madam with an exuberant wave of her hand, “Divination is a marvelous magic and it’s endlessly useful in information gathering... if you can hone your third eye that is.” 

Information gathering, Harry thought? Like a spy? “Wait, what is this third eye?”

Madam Godfrey leaned forward and tapped a forefinger to the middle of his forehead, just above his glasses, “The third eye is a Chakra point located here. It is one of your seven major Chakras that can effect your body, emotions, and magical flow. This one focuses on your intuition and imagination. A blocked Chakra here can manifest as headaches, issues with sight and concentration, or hearing problems. I suspect the dark magic in your scar might be contributing to a blockage actually.”

Harry’s eyes widened in alarm, “Wait, what?”

Madam Godfrey eyed him sharply, “Are you prone to headaches, have difficulty concentrating, or suffer hearing problems? I can already see you have glasses.”

“I mean, I do... the headaches and concentration stuff. You think they’re caused by my scar?” Harry asked in shock.

She nodded, “Yes, I would strongly recommend you visit a healer or cursebreaker at your earliest convenience.”

“But Madam Pomfrey never said anything.” Argued Harry.

Madam Godfrey tapped a finger against one arm, causing the bangles to ring, “That is strange. Did she ever actually give you a full diagnostic when you’ve seen her before?”

Harry paused, “Well no, I don’t think so at least. She just always treated me for whatever I was in for.”

The diviner smiled, “Well there you have it!”

“So, you really think I need to see a Healer?” Harry grimaced, reluctant to the idea.

“I do,” Madam Godfrey replied solemnly.

“Umm, do you have any Healers you could recommend?” Asked Harry.

“Of course, there’s actually a private practice right in this Alley. And I would highly recommend a private practice over St. Mungos if you want to avoid making the tabloids Mr. Potter.” Madam Godfrey replied sadly.

Harry grimaced and patted his hair down some more over his scar, “Yeah, that would be bad. I would appreciate that recommendation.”

“Of course dear. Anything to help you unblock your third eye,” she winked at him as she started writing on a piece of parchment with a quill, “Oh, and I’m including the name of a book you should look up. It’ll help hone your third eye once it’s unblocked.”

Harry took the piece of parchment.   
Healer James T. Desquirre, 42 Horizont Alley and “Exercises to Hone Your Third Eye,” by Belinda Whentworth was written upon it. Well that was certainly descriptive.

“Thank you Madam Godfrey.” Harry said sincerely.

She waved a hand, “Oh pish, I’m just doing my part to help another find joy in the marvelous magic that is divination! But of course, if you ever have more divination questions you may visit or write to me and maybe you’ll be needing some divination tools soon enough too.” She winked gaily at him.

Harry grinned, “Maybe I will.”


End file.
